I've had pencils in my hand ever since I can remember, and as a child, colouring in books was my favourite activity. I've since graduated to calligraphy, and dabbling with various paints, pastels, charcoal, etc. I also like to play with paper, recycling things and making collages. This is a record of my projects in recent years.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Calligraphy workshop.

Last Sunday I spent most of the day with Val at a workshop put on by the Calligraphy Society of Victoria. Most of their classes are held at Melbourne University where they rent a room for their meetings, but this time the lady running the workshop had it at her studio behind her house. There were six of us and we were drooling over M's studio, which had been a garage, but converted to the studio after she outgrew one of the bedrooms in the house. What we could all do if we had unlimited funds and unlimited space!

The workshop was actually a two day one, but Val and I hadn't wanted to commit ourselves to two days in a row so M. very kindly invited us to pay half the fee and just attend on Sunday. The workshop was all about Christmas. M. showed us how to make an insert for a plastic coaster and a key ring holder, how to put your own writing on a candle, and how to write on those metallic Xmas tree decorative balls.

Val and I had lots of practising to do before we got to the stage of writing the words to be used on our items.

See the two really beautiful scrips in boxes? That's not my work - M did that as an example for me to follow. I think she was having me on....

I wasn't feeling well (had a cold coming on) that day, and after I'd spent all morning on this piece I decided enough was enough, and gave it to M. to scan and reproduce for me to cut up to put into cards or coasters.

The candle was an interesting exercise. We wrote a name on a piece of tissue paper which was then burnt on to the surface of the candle with a special burning tool. (That is a simplified explanation - it wasn't that easy, but will do for the purpose of describing it for this blog).

These decorative balls were tricky to do. We had to write a name on the ball with a tube of glue, and while it was still sticky, dip the ball into a tray of sparkly stuff, which stuck to the glue. By this time in the afternoon, I was feeling so ill I could hardly concentrate, so I packed it in and went home, feeling disappointed with myself. If I'd been feeling my usual self, I would have done a much better job of all these little projects! But it was a fun day.

This is an example of what the other students were doing. They were all long term members of the society and attend most of the workshops. They told me that the only way to keep improving is to keep doing the workshops, and they were right. I just don't get the time, but it's my own fault for having too many hobbies!